


Blue Velvet

by bluehat



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Campaign 2 (Critical Role), Canon Compliant, Canon-typical language, Canonical Character Death, Character Study, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Mutual Pining, Platonic Cuddling, Pre-Relationship, Session Zero, Slow Burn, Team as Family, but there will be a relationship so dont worry, more tags to be added as we continue, not sure quite how far this will cover but definitely up to episode 46
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-29 09:58:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19017595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluehat/pseuds/bluehat
Summary: Beau and Jester are each other’s first friends, as different as they may be. As time passes they both try to do the right thing and be the wingwoman their best friend deserves. Beau is trying to get Jester together with Fjord, while Jester pushes Beau towards Yasha. The only problem: their growing feelings for each other.(slow burn, starting from session zero)





	Blue Velvet

Beau had never thought she’d want to have a roommate after leaving the Cobalt Reserve in Zadash. She’d spent most of her childhood alone in Kamordah, so she’d sort of wondered what it would be like to sleep in the same room as other people, instead of alone in a room that always felt too big. She didn’t have good memories of the four-poster bed barely lit by the small window, impersonal paintings that felt as though they belonged more in an inn than in a home, and thick walls that deadened all sound from the outdoors.

So, in a way, she had hoped that roommates might be enjoyable, but she had hated rooming with the other trainee monks. Of course, she had hated just about everything at that point in her life, but the nights of lying awake on the cold, hard beds hearing the breathing of dozens of identical, prim-and-proper students was one of the most despised.

They had no idea what they were signing their lives away to, and had no experience with the real world. Beau wasn’t going to pretend she was the most experienced person, but at least her rebellion had given her a taste of reality, and then that was all she had craved. She didn’t want to be just one among an army of blue-robed warriors, fighting for a cause she didn’t care about. She knew she was better than them in a way, because at least she hadn’t volunteered for this.

So, when Beau ran away from the monastery, she made a silent agreement to avoid rooming with others, especially those too naïve to understand the reality of their situation.

And then, she met Jester Lavorre.

 

\---

 

“Hey! Hey blue human lady!” yelled an accented voice on the side of the road as Beau trudged along angrily, kicking the stones that had the audacity to be in the way of her boots. She glanced up and spotted two passerby a few paces ahead of her. A blue tiefling woman, short and grinning, and a slightly-exasperated-looking orcish man, probably only half given his more slender physique and lack of tusks.

“Yeah?” said Beau grouchily, regretting taking the Amber Road. She’d known it was more populated, but she wasn’t dumb enough to risk the more dangerous paths while she was completely alone. And after all, it wasn’t like the Cobalt Soul was about to chase her down. They’d be relieved that their most stubborn student was easing the burden on everyone by leaving. But she hadn’t counted on being bothered by _tourists_.

“Sorry to bother you,” came a smooth voice from the armored half-orc, “But we were passing through Trostenwald and we’ve got an offer that might interest you. We’re looking for a little bit of extra muscle, and…” He gestured vaguely to Beau’s sleeveless arms, while she glanced downwards and definitely did not flex a little to show off. 

“Because I _love_ beating stuff up, but like, I’m technically a cleric so technically it’s not my most important job, so like we kind of need maybe an extra person to make sure that this girl doesn’t die or something… I’m not completely sure, this guy was _really_ boring,” babbled the tiefling woman.

Her voice made her sound young, but from appearance she looked around the same age as Beau. She wore a green cloak around her upper shoulders, a white shirt with draping sleeves and a blue skirt with several golden chains around the belt. One of them looked like the holy symbols Beau recognized from some of the holier-than-thou Cobalt Soul members, although she’d never seen this particular design before. As she spoke, the woman’s blue tail swished around her ankles like an excited cat. Beau definitely didn’t think this was a little bit adorable.

“So you just decided to ask the first person you see on the road? That’s not suspicious at all,” remarked Beau sarcastically.

The man let out a dark chuckle. “We’re not the best at planning ahead, I suppose.”

Beau rolled her eyes and let out a huff of breath. “I guess I can relate. What are you trying to do, anyways?” She walked a little closer, arm still out in case she had to go for her staff. These two seemed a little too ostentatious to be common bandits, but you could never be sure in the Empire these days.

“Um, there’s this guy… uh… what was his name again, Fjord?”

“Rinaldo, I think.”

“Yep, this guy Rinaldo and his daughter got kidnapped by a _big snake_ and he was all like ‘oh nooo can anyone help me’ and we were like ‘yes, we will definitely help because we are like, heroes and stuff, but also please give us some money too please’ and he said yes! So do you wanna come with us to beat up a big snake or something?”

Beau cracked her knuckles under the sturdy wrappings around each arm, and put her hands on her hips. The anger sizzled under her skin, for the Cobalt Soul, for her parents, and for anyone who dared to get in her way. “Sure, why the fuck not.”

“Yay!” Beau’s moment of red-hot clarity was interrupted by a hug so sudden she almost went for her weapon. The tiefling girl suddenly grabbed her around the waist and lifted her a few inches off the ground in a tight squeeze. “See, Fjord, I was right! You _can_ just find some random warrior on the street.”

Beau was pretty sure she heard an exasperated grumble at that one, but there was a fond smile on Fjord’s face. Most of her attention was taken by the deceptively strong tiefling, whose muscled arms were much more evident up close. Suddenly, the sunlight felt as though it had gotten a lot hotter, and Beau found herself sweating a little bit.

After just a moment, and a slight nudge from Fjord, the tiefling put her down. “I’m Jester Lavorre,” she declared, sticking out a hand for a shake with a bright smile. “And this is Fjord… Fjord…”

“Just Fjord,” said the man.

Beau stuck out her hand to shake Jester’s, whose handshake was as strong as her lift. “I’m Beauregard, but call me Beau.”

“So, Beau, what brings you to this part of the world?” asked Fjord.

“Let’s just go kill a fucking snake, okay? We don’t have to talk,” Beau said shortly.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to offend,” said Fjord.

“ _We_ just came from the Menagerie Coast,” said Jester, fluttering her hands as she talked. “I’m from Nicodranas and Fjord is from Port Damali, and it’s so _cold_ here I don’t know how you don’t have any sleeves on, but…” 

Beau let Jester’s voice wash over her as they headed off, paying little attention to where they were going. She needed some coin, and what did it matter, anyway? It was only for a day or two.

 

\---

 

Licking their wounds from the snake fight, which had been as satisfying as it was brutal, the trio limped back to the inn that Fjord and Jester had heard about in Trostenwald, the Nestled Nook. They had just finished sending Rinaldo’s daughter off to meet her father, which Beau knew was the point, but she felt too exhausted to care.

“Should we go find Rinaldo and everything, or…?” asked Jester.

“Need. Sleep,” grumbled Beau, winding a bandage around her upper shoulder. Jester had removed the poison, but the wound still stung a little bit.

“I agree that perhaps now is the time to retire for the night,” said Fjord. “Rinaldo’s not going anywhere, but I don’t think we’re long on our feet.”

“Speak for yourselves, I feel great,” said Jester, skipping along in spite of her black eye and ripped clothes from being slammed by the snake’s tail. Beau felt like she should find the tiefling immensely irritating, but somehow she couldn’t quite find the energy. 

“There’s a brewery in town too,” said Jester, pointing at a sign as they passed for the Bambauch Brewery. “I don’t really like ale but maybe it could be fun to check it out?”

“Jester, I don’t know…” began Fjord.

“Come _onnn_ , Fjord,” Jester began wheedling. Fjord sighed and looked at Beau. 

“Maybe let’s just drop our stuff at the inn first?” he suggested. Beau rolled her eyes.

The inn was small but homely enough, and the rough brown walls were a welcome change from the pale white and blue of the Cobalt Reserve dormitories or from the austere construction of her home. Beau marched straight up to the barkeep, a woman with blonde hair and weathered skin. 

“Got any rooms?” she asked, never one to waste time with small talk. 

The woman glanced her up and down, seemingly noting her battle-worn appearance. “Yes, we’ve got two straight upstairs if you’ve got the coin.”

“No worries,” assured Jester. “I’ve got plenty of money from my mom, okay? What’s your name?”

“Yorda,” said the barkeep. “Welcome to the Nestled Nook, Trostenwald’s finest inn.”

“Not a lot of other options,” grumbled Beau. Fjord shot her a look, and she held her hands up in mock surrender. “I mean, it’s true!" 

“We’ll take both rooms, okay?” said Jester to Yorda.

“That’ll be one gold per room.”

“No problem!” Jester took out a few coins from her purse and passed them to the barkeep. “We’re getting paid tomorrow anyway. Did you know that we killed a huuuuge snake today?”

“Good for you,” said Yorda shortly, but there was a small smile on her face in spite of her gruffness. 

The three of them went upstairs to two serviceable rooms, each with a nightstand and a single bed.

“Beau and I can share!” said Jester, half-jumping to cling to Beau’s shoulder as if afraid Fjord might beat her to the punch.

“Sure,” Fjord agreed.

Suddenly, Beau remembered her resolution. She didn’t want to spend all night sharing a bed with an overly talkative stranger, especially right after escaping from the Cobalt Reserve. “Wait,” she said suddenly.

“What, Beau?” said Jester, looking up at her and pouting. “You don’t want to room with me?”

“Um…” said Beau eloquently.

“That’s okay, I can room with Fjord instead,” said Jester with a frown. “I’ve seen plenty of dicks so it’s fine.” Fjord sputtered a little but Beau wasn’t watching him. Jester was still making jokes, but her expression seemed a little dimmer, and Beau felt a pang that she hadn’t expected.

“I just…” she began, but Jester’s face was all she could look at. “I call the right side." 

“But Beauuuu, that’s the best side!” Jester protested, but her eyes lit up again, and for some reason that was all Beau cared about.

 

\---

 

So, barely realizing it, Beau got the roommate she’d never wanted. As she climbed into bed that night, Jester jumped on top of it like an excited child.

“How old are you, anyway?” Beau asked.

“You can’t tell how _old_ I am, Beau?” asked Jester mischievously.

“Sort of, it’s just, you seem kind of young.”

Jester just laughed. “So do you,” she said to Beau. Beau felt like she should be offended, but Jester’s mischievous smile just made her give a tiny grin in return.

“That was so cool today that we beat up that snake! I’m going to tell the Traveler all about it,” said Jester with the air that she was confiding some kind of secret to Beau.

“Who’s that?” 

“He’s my best friend,” said Jester. “And also a god and stuff, but he’s pretty cool. I think you’d like him.”

Beau just lay down without answering, smiling slightly at the bizarre nature of her new companion. She could hear Jester’s murmured words of prayer as her eyes slipped slowly closed after the long day.

Later that night, Beau turned over and woke slightly next to the lightly snoring tiefling. She felt the anger within her dim as a nearly unfamiliar sense of calm swept her like a rush. Beau closed her eyes once more, and for the first time in a long time, she dropped into a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> be the femslash you want to see in the world


End file.
